Mail receptacle



June 10 1924.

G. J. TIEFEL MAIL, RECEPTACLE Filed' April 2,

' ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 10, 1924.

UNITED STATES GEORGE J. TIEFEL, or nocnns'rnn, new YORK.

. MAIL REOEPTAC'LE.

Application filed April 2,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Gronsn J. TIE-FEL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Re ceptacles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to mail receptacles and an object thereof is to provide a mail receptacle adapted to receive both large and small articles, provision being made whereby the large articles are segregated from the small articles, in being dropped into the box, said large articles being deflected laterally from the slot after being introduced into the receptacle so that small mail matter may be readily inserted in the mail receiving slot and dropped into the receptacle directly beneath the slot. Another object of the invention is to provide a single chambered inail receiving receptacle having provision for separating the small articles from the large articles introduced into said receptacle.

To these and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafter described: the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a mail receptacle constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, showing the re ceptacle closed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the receptacle open;

Fig. 4k is a section on the line t at, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the springs.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the rear wall of a receptacle, which has also a front wall 2, shorter than the rear wall and connected thereto by side walls, an inclined top wall 8 provided with a mail receiving slot l and a bottom closure 5, which is preferably hinged at 6 to the rear wall 1 and extends upwardly to cooperate with the lower edge of the front wall 2, a lock or fastening device 7 being employed for securing the closure in closed position. The closure swings downwardly and its downward movement may be limited by a pair of pivotally connected links 8, which ole.

vice 7 is disengaged with 1923'. Serial No. ceases.

are pivoted to the closure and also to the inner faces of the side walls of the recepta- The bottom also has at its rear edge a resilient flange or tongue 10 which cooperates with the rear wall when the closure is swung upwardly and prevents the mail passing between the closure and the rear wall, the tongue 10 being placed under tension when the closure 5 is moved to closed position and acting also to assist in the opening of the closure when the lock or fastening dethe. front wall 2. The mail receiving slot is preferably provided in the top wall adjacent the rear wall 1 and from the top wall a flange 11 depends having a serrated edge, this flange being formed by bending downwardly metal cut from the top wall 3 to provide the opening 4;. This flange prevents the hand being in troduced into the slot for the purpose of re moving the larger articles in front of the flange. The slot is preferably of a size to receive the ordinary newspaper in a folded condition.

In order that the newspaper or other large article introduced through the slot will not lie in the path of letters or other small mail introduced in the slot, a means isprovided which will deflect the newspaper laterally or forwardly to one side of the slot. This deflecting means, in this instance, embodies two leaf springs secured at 12 to the rear wall and extending downwardly from the securing portions, the downwardly extending portions being bowed at 13, these two devices being spaced apart a distance greater than the width of an ordinary envelope. It is apparent that when a newspaper or other lar e article is placed in the receptacle, it will be deflected or shifted forwardly to one side of the slot, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, so that envelopes or other small articles maybe received between the two defleeting devices without interference with the newspaper or large article. lVhen the receptacle is opened, as shown-in Fig. 3, the articles are exposed at one side and may be readily removed due to the fact that the lower portion of the front wall is above the lower portion of the rear wall, the delivery opening being of such a size that the contents of the box may be readily viewed prior to the removal.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a mail receptacle which is adapted to receive a newspaper or hlO other large article and to deflect the same away from the mail receiving slot, so that small mail matter may be readily received in the receptacle without interference With the large articles. The larger articles are so displaced away from the mail receiving slot that they cannot be withdrawn through the latter, and the small mail drops to the position where it cannot be reached by a hand placed through the receiving slot.

\Vh-at I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mail segregating receptacle having a mail receiving slot and means within the receptacle for separating large articles from small articles as they are dropped through the slot.

2. A mail segregating receptacle having a mail receiving slot, and means within the receptacle for separating the large articles from the small articles as they are dropped through the slot, said means being constructed to displace the large articles laterally in the receptacle to one side of the slot and to permit small or letter size mail matter to pass the same and drop beneath the slot.

3. A mail segregating receptacle having a mail receiving slot, and a pair of resilient devices arranged in spaced relation to each other and to the front wall of the receptacle below the slot to separate the large articles from the small articles by displacing the large articles laterally to one side of the slot and permitting the small articles or letter size mail matter to pass between the resilient devices and drop beneath the slot.

i. A segregating mail receptacle having a mail receiving slot, and two spaced devices arranged under the slot within the receptacle and formed to separate the large articles from the small articles dropped through the slot, said spaced devices displacing the large articles introduced through the slot laterally away from the slot and permitting the small articles or letter size mail matter to pass between them and drop to a point beneath the slot.

Li EORGE J. TI EFEL. 

